It is estimated that of the 225,000 blind people in South Africa, 66 percent - or 160,000 are needlessly blind with cataract.

The Eastern Cape Province, where our program work is concentrated, is the poorest province in the country. In 2008 the results of a survey estimated that over 38,000 people in the Province were blind. Of these, over 30,000 had an avoidable form of blindness, mainly caused by cataract. The majority of these people have very limited or no access to eye care services.

One of the greatest challenges we face in the Eastern Cape Province is the tremendous shortage of trained eye care professionals at all levels of the health care system.

Working with our sister organisation, the Fred Hollows Foundation South Africa (FHFSA), and the Eastern Cape Ministry of Health and other partner organisations, our aim is to turn this situation around and restore sight to the tens of thousands of South Africans who remain distant and isolated due to blindness.

Find out more about the South Africa program.

Through the work of The Fred Hollows Foundation South Africa, we have:

• Screened 17,023 people
  
  
• Performed 5,545 sight restoring or improving operations and interventions
  
  
• Trained 295 eye health staff
  
  
• Opened the new 24 bed Sabona Eye Centre at Frontier Hospital, Queenstown.

The Foundation is a not for profit organisation, registered as a Section 21 Company (Company Registration No. 2001/000221/08 and NPO Registration No. 012-296)